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Infertility: Setting Limits on Treatment

Topic Overview

Infertility treatment has great potential for
squandering some of your most precious resources—money, time, and peace of
mind. Before you start infertility treatment, decide how much money, time, and
emotional energy you can afford to spend on infertility treatment. Take control
of a process that can so easily take control of you.

Financial limits

Think about:

What your insurance coverage will pay for. Be
aware of all exclusions in your policy.

How much money you can afford to spend on treatment as well as
pregnancy, delivery, and infant health care. A financial planner may be of
help.

What various treatments cost, and what hidden costs, such as
medicines or routine testing, aren't included in a clinic's fee schedule.
In the United States, in vitro fertilization typically costs
$10,000 to $15,000 for each attempt.

Some clinics
offer creative financing for infertility treatment, which may or may not be
right for you. See the RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association website
at www.resolve.org for information on financing infertility
treatment.

Time limits

Before you start infertility treatment, plan how long you each
envision trying to conceive with medical help. Talk to your doctor ahead of
time about what is a reasonable period of time to try treatment for your
specific condition. Whether you decide "no more than 4 months and then we stop
treatment and start an adoption process" or "we'll try as long as it takes,"
set definite time points when you and your partner will evaluate your prognosis
and progress. Anticipate that you might want to take periodic breaks from
treatment, which can become all-consuming and difficult.

Ideally your doctor will help you stop and assess your plan and
options at each step of the way. If you feel that you are being pushed to make
decisions without enough information or support from your doctor, think about
finding another doctor.

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How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.